Promise Me
by Taka Momos
Summary: He hurt -- everything hurt. Sitting alone, hiding from the world, he cried. He'd lost again -- lost everything important to him; lost him to her. He was tired of her taking everything he wanted, tired enough to give up. But Sasuke won't let him. SasuNaru


He sat on the ground against a wall – head between his legs, knees against his chest. His cheeks, and his arm where one of the cheeks rested, burned from the salty tears he'd been trying. His entire body was hot, damp – not helped by his wet clothes and humid air from the recent rain he'd walked through. Sadness and pain still spun in his head, images flashing in his mind; but only one of them still gripped his heart – the cold eyes glaring at him as he held her.

He wasn't sure what had hurt him worse – the eyes, or the betrayal.

And, just to pour salt in the wound, had been the satisfied smirk plastered on her face; the way she hung off of him possessively. It was, to her, just one more thing she'd taken from him, one more way she'd hurt him, _one more victory._

Damn her!

He pulled his knees tighter against his chest as fresh sobs wracked his body. Another roll of thunder echoed in the distance – the silence it left in the air reminding him how alone he was. He'd found someone decent, someone who had taken him in, taken care of him. And now? Now – nothing. It was the same story as always – he'd get up and find something in life, then it was stolen from him; he'd be thrown back down. And he could deal with it, if it weren't for the way he was fucked over and over again by life – his own hope used to rape him!

He reached his limit as fatigue was over him. His sobs broke down into dizzy convulsions. The blackness swirled around him. Finally, with tears still on his cheeks –

he slept.

---

He woke from a restless sleep, surrounded by a soft warmth. It was, unlike the wet streets lit by the streetlights – unlike the loneliness of the cold pavement and light lost in the empty sky, the dim moon hanging overheard – a dry room. The sheets were dark, like the walls and carpet; unfamiliar to him.

As he sat up, trying to orient himself, the memories and sadness made his stomach turn – leaving him scrambling weakly for the side of the bed. Painful heaves, empty retching, overtook him; he screamed in broken whines as every muscle clenched violently before slowly releasing him – leaving him quivering in agony.

He recognized the sound of hurried footsteps and the opening of a door while he gasped for air, preparing for another heave to seize him. When his muscles relaxed and he once again struggled for air between sobs, tremors in the aftermath of the crippling waves that shook him – when the pain had faded away to be replaced by exhaustion, he could feel underneath it all a gentle hand rubbing his back.

Soothing him.

His muscles continued to clench and relax, though the heaves were fewer and weaker. Gentle whispers talked him through the dizziness, enough that he could turn and see the face behind him –

Sasuke,

He met the strong, black eyes. The hand on his back moved to rest on his forehead, arm draping gently over his form. A grunt came from behind him and the body shifted away. His mind screamed for him to reach out and stop the retreating man, but his body failed him; all he could manage was a pained whine from deep in his throat.

Emptiness replaced the space where the other body once was. It seemed like an eternity before he could hear returning footsteps. Too tired to open his eyes, he heard something heavy set on the wooden table beside him. Water splashed, and a soft, cool cloth was set where the hand had once been. His muscles shook, unsure how to respond to the linger pain and soothing comfort.

A lone sob tore through him.

"Shhh..." Strong arms wrapped around him, pulled him close; pulled him back into a hard, warm chest. Hot breaths boiled his skin, sending shivers through him as he felt the breathing on his neck against the cool air of the room. Another sob, weakened to little more than a convulsion, and a deep, protective voice spoke into his ear; the chest rumbled, sending waves of pleasure through his head and down his body –

"You'll be alright."

He managed a weak nod, already easing into a more comfortable sleep than he'd known in a long time.

---

He woke to an empty feeling – the loss of the comforting warmth against his back. He felt a panic at the thought that maybe it was just a dream – a cruel dream; though he wouldn't be surprised.

He pushed his body into consciousness, forcing it to move. As he sat himself up, he immediately noticed the soft sheet he was clenching in his fists. He noticed the unfamiliar room – the soft carpet, the dark walls, he remembered all of it from the night before. A feeling of hope surged through him as he threw the covers off and gracelessly, still unbalanced by sleep, headed for the door.

Sunlight from the living room burned his unadjusted eyes. His body reeled backwards, balled fists rubbing furiously at the aching eyes. The smell of food being cooked filled his head – his mind wrapping around the sound of bacon hissing in a frying pan.

He looked around – eyes squinting, still adjusting. After frantic searching, he finally found what he was looking for. That dark, black hair, soft stranding hanging down to caress those perfect, porcelain features. Those dark eyes, orbs so deep he could lose himself in them completely.

Sasuke stood above the frying pan, staring back at him – meeting his gaze. His face was blank, expressionless. His voice was steady, emotionless –

"Good morning."

Unsure how to respond, he staggered forward – nodding dumbly. Silence chilled the room, a dry, bitter cold. He wasn't sure what to say, what he _should_ say; he wasn't sure what was happening.

He felt numb.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yeah." He felt the word rip from his throat, raw from the night before. He moved forward towards the counter, an island in the kitchen – on the other side of which was Sasuke. He watched the raven's face, an unchanging, unreadable expression. He watched the other's eyes staring down into the pan, focusing on the food.

He felt a jolt of emotion when Sasuke suddenly looked up, meeting his gaze – boring into his eyes. He turned off the stove, turning around towards the counter behind him, where the sink was. He watched him move the bacon onto a plate with a fork. The pan hissed loudly when Sasuke moved it under the faucet's stream of cold water. Turning around, the plates prepared, he moved to the other side of the counter, setting the plate in front of him before sitting in the chair beside him

He was torn about voicing his thanks, and in the end gave in to the silence. He ate carefully – slowly – to avoid upsetting his stomach. An eternity passed as they ate their meals in silence. By the end of the breakfast, the silence was no longer comfortable. It was suffocating. Eveyr second that passed cast a more smothering daze over him. He felt like an impending doom was approaching – quickly.

Sasuke seemed to notice the discomfort, struggling to open communication between them.

"So..." he could see the struggle the raven was having, and tried to help.

"Uhh... thanks. Ya know... for... everything." All he got was a quiet grunt of affirmation, though he could see the relief on the other's face. More comfortable, he began thinking of ways to continue. What Sasuke said before could think of anything, however, made all of his tired muscles tighten in defense.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Naruto shook his head weakly, tears once again burning at his tired eyes. Yet, despite the impending emotional onslaught, one question tugged at his mind.

"How?"

He'd barely managed to choke out the question. Sasuke only furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"How'd you know about what happened? And where to find me? And –" The rest of the question was drowned in sobs as his emotions finally took over. Sasuke was quick to pull him into his arms, guiding him towards the couch – trying to comfort him. Warm hushes blew agains this ear. His emotions were quickly calmed as he sank into the warm chest and soft couch – lost in the embrace.

"How?" Sasuke let out a long sigh as the question was repeated.

"Sakura was bragging about it. Kiba overheard her and called me. You only have Iruka's to go to, and you weren't there when I called. So I just drove around looking." Naruto braced for the sadness, but it never came. There was, instead, a small spark of warmth.

"You cared?" The strong arms tightened, crushing him.

"Of course." It was a throaty growl. The spark finally lit into a small flame, but he tried to smother it. He couldn't get hurt again – not again.

"Why?" Sasuke remained silent for a moment, giving room for doubt to creep into his mind. But that doubt was quickly removed.

"Baka." He was stunned by the familiar insult. "Are you really so pathetic that you can't see what's good in yourself? This is _exactly_ why she runs over you – because you let her! You deserve so much more than the bastards you give yourself to all the time! When are you going to pull your head out of your ass and see how incredible you are!?" In his anger, he'd forced Naruto beneath him – holding him in a bruising grip, forcing him into the cushions beneath them. He wanted to escape, yet at the same time...

seeing the fire in the Uchiha's dark eyes finally lit a flame inside his chest.

A familiar heat spread across his scarred cheeks – in part to his close proximity to Sasuke, but also because he knew what Sasuke had said was true. Too weak to maintain his defense, he let his body go lax. Sasuke relaxed with him, his body resting gently over his own, supported just enough to prevent crushing him. The embrace tightened, and Sasuke rolled off of him – bringing them to lay face to face as he was rolled as well. An arm snaked around his waist, up his back, and he was held against the warm chest from the night before. The head of dark hair leaned down against his own, his breath burning his ear in heated puffs. He whispered, setting his entire body on fire.

"When do I get my chance?"

The arm began to gently stroke his back, the other moving to hold the back of his thigh as emotion once again racked his body. Soft hushes breathed into his ear, and he was once again shifted – this time onto the top of Sasuke's chest, his head held against the hard muscles.

His already burning face heated further as he bawled into Sasuke's chest, his entire world becoming hot, salty, and wet. The hand continued running up and down his back, dipping down now and then to caress the firm cheeks. Naruto gripped the shirt tighter, gripped the waist tighter with his legs as he straddled the Uchiha.

His every muscle ached as he let himself give in to exhaustion, slumping against the chest limply. The soft whispers continued to calm him, gently easing him down. Sobs turned into gasps for breath – desperate panting for air – as clung to the hard body beneath him. He finally loosened his grip carefully, slowly allowing himself to be balanced on the chest by the arms around him; but still mentally expecting the support to drop out from beneath him at any moment, to be dumped onto the floor like he always was.

But the grip only tightened.

"Promise?" He croaked as he asked, not sure why. He didn't know what he wanted Sasuke to promise him – love, happiness, safety. All of them seemed so foreign to him; and yet, as Sasuke's cheeked rubbed against his own in a nod, not all that far away.

"I promise."

Whatever it was that he needed, Sasuke gave it to him. It felt as if Sasuke had promised him the world – had given him everything he could think to ask for – just to have him.

He smiled, nodding his answer to the question he'd been asked.

It was Sasuke's chance.

He could have him.


End file.
